Julian Assange, 39, is writing his autobiography, American publisher Knopf confirmed to USA TODAY's Carol Memmott today.
The WikiLeaks founder was recently released on bail in Britain and is fighting extradition to Sweden, where two women have accused him of sexual misconduct. (Assange denies the allegations.) He's essentially living under house arrest in a country mansion. And he says he needs the money for his escalating legal costs. According to SBS, an Australian news outlet, he told Britain's Sunday Times, "I don't want to write this book, but I have to."
Knopf's Paul Bogaards would not comment on the terms of the deal, but Assange says he expects somewhere around $1.5 million for his autobiography.
"This is going to be a significant publication," Bogaards told USA TODAY. "You have to look at what Assange has accomplished in his life since the launch of WikiLeaks in 2006. He has legions of admirers as well as detractors. His credo is all about more transparency -- more state transparency, more corporate transparency -- and citizens embrace the work he's doing. Governments and businesses possibly less so."
Bogaards says Knopf expects delivery of the manuscript sometime in the new year but has not set a publication date.
He says he expects huge demand for Assange's book. "People are curious about the arc of his life, how he came to the work that he's doing, why he does what he does, how he does what he does and his defense of the work," says Bogaards. "There's going to be a lot of demand for the book when we publish because people are curious not just about Wikileaks but about Assange."